Sunday, November 30, 2008

Early this morning, I picked BR up and drove her to the Seattle Marathon start where we met up with Cheryl and the group for some last minute chatter before the runners began.

After seeing everyone start, I headed over to McD's and had my first McMuffin sandwich there in years! I decided to head back home and not wait out the finish to avoid future road rage. Once I got home, there was a message from Ann that the vest I had taken for her at the last minute had her car keys in it :(

It got my butt moving again and I headed back down after changing into running clothes and found her very happy after kicking some SERIOUS butt at the race with a super impressive run/walk pace! I then headed to Gasworks and ran around the lake. Definitely feeling a bit tired and sluggish. Perhaps the McMuffin, perhaps not quite knowing what to do with myself with this taper weekend -- even if I did spend all afternoon yesterday shampooing all my rugs with this extra nervous energy...

6.2 Mile Run @ 00:58:00

Got in a lift at the local 24.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

Saturday, November 29, 2008

This morning, I did my long taper run along Lake Washington from Leschi to and around Seward and back.

I kicked the speed up a bit and going around Seward Park added a mile so I felt like I got a good workout in.

11 Mile Run @ 01:58:00

Friday, November 28, 2008

Did my Holiday Helper shift at the Greenlake store today with the thought that I might get out on my bike after. The weather did not agree so I dragged out the rollers and did a quick spin on the bike. My legs held up fine. But not my butt. Most definitely not my butt.... :(

10 Mile Roller Ride @ 00:40:00

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Had a luxurious night and morning of sleep (slept till 8:30) and met Gisela at the perfectly civilized hour of 11 AM for our not exactly "annual" Thanksgiving day run on Alki. Great conversation and coffee after. Hanging with Wally a bit now until I head over to Katie's to completely stuff my face :)

6.5 Mile Run @ 01:00:00

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Started this morning with a lift and core.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

I had a hope that I could work a shorter day today because of tomorrow's holiday but it was just not in the cards. Got home after 6 and after Wally and I caught up a little, I went out to make up yesterday's hill run. Set up a route right around home with some good hills, and one repeat on Roosevelt.

6 Mile Hill Run @ 00:57:00

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Yoga class was good, as usual this morning.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Tuesdays are super tough to get in a second workout and today proved to be no exception. I planned to run stairs today during lunch but my schedule got crazy and in the way.

Monday, November 24, 2008

It's pretty scary that I ran the equivalent of a marathon this past weekend and feel very rested and as if I had the weekend off!

Made it in this morning for weights and core.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Then had a planning dinner with my wonderful and amazing support crew for the race and I tried not to get terribly escalated.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Had a nice hilly run this morning with BR and got to catch up with people at the group potluck.

10 Mile Run @ 01:40:00

Saturday, November 22, 2008

I woke up around 7:30 this morning and headed out by after 8:30ish over the pass to get in my 15 mile run on the Iron Horse Trail. I started at Cedar Falls this time and ran a part of the trail I had not run before. It was a great day and I had a fabulous run. The way out was a slight ascent, the first three a bit steeper but I felt smooth, strong and really great. I decided to add a mile to make up for Tuesday to get me to the 44 for the week and negative split my return by 9 minutes!

16 Mile Run @ 02:31:00

Friday, November 21, 2008

I have been sleeping really well this week and took advantage of this again this morning. Made it to core class with the thought that I would lift after work. That was trumped though by a last minute happy hour after work with some people on my team.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Katie picked me up this morning at 5:15 and we drove to do our hills on 70th and 65th. She has a terrible cough but did 3 of them with me and I did the 4th while she went to get the car and meet me at the top.

7 Mile Hill Run @ 01:10:00

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Got in a lift before core class this morning.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

No chance to get in a run during my work day so I ran after from home testing my headlamp. I set out to do 8-10 miles and got a bit lost because of the dark during the run but figured it out pretty quickly.

8 Mile Run @ 01:20:00

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I took a complete rest day yesterday after my tough weekend. Work has exploded a bit and I left work that afternoon feeling completely wrung out.

Yoga class this morning was good and even though I was a bit tired during some of the strength poses, it really is turning into one of my favorite moments of the week.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

I have blocked 2 hours off on my calendar on Tuesdays to get in my run but I just had too much to do so I did a "better than a poke in the eye" workout and ran a short distance with short fartleks in between.

3 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

Sunday, November 16, 2008

This morning, I woke up at 4:30 AM -- half an hour earlier than my alarm clock and after drinking some coffee and figuring out a route, I drove to West Seattle and started my loop at 5:55 AM. I ran from Alki up to 35th, over at Barton and then down along Beach Drive to meet the group at my starting point.

After seeing all of them coming my way because I was not fast enough to make the start time, I caught up with Cheryl and got to run with her the entire time. Other than my disappointment at how very long it seemed to take, it was a really good run. She kept me steady on pace and made me eat. Something I was more willing to do after I learned that she was going to shove it down my throat if I did not eat during the race so it might be in my best interest to eat consistently on my own :)

Hell weekend is officially OVER! It's taper from here!

26 Mile Run @ 04:35:00

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Went to Marymoor again to run the Lake Sammamish trail for my 20 mile run. I worked on nutrition this time and packed myself a spam sandwich to eat. I managed to choke down one half of it but the spam burps were just a bit too much :(. I also had a craving for a coke so I ran across the street to the 7-11 and emptied my accelorade bottle (I had made it too weak by accident and it tasted terrible) and filled it with coke. Of course it was a bad thinking error because running only carbonated the coke more and I ended up wearing more it than drinking. Oh and coke and spam burps...not at all good.

I definitely took my time with this run and meandered a bit. Day 1 of my hell weekend DONE. Got to hang with Amy after and we went to a restaurant in Bellevue that served huge portions!

20 Mile Run @ 03:50:00

Friday, November 14, 2008

Got in a lift and core this morning.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Met at Katie's house this morning and we got in our hill workout. I sure was feeling very tired and Katie ended up pretty much pulling me through it.

6 Mile Hill Run @ 01:00:00

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Last night I touched my toes!!!
This morning, not so much but I have last night's victory to bask in.

Got in weights before core class.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got some tough news at work (I am fine) so there was a bit of a scramble and I ended up getting in only about a 4 mile aerobic run.

4 Mile Aerobic Run @ 00:40:00

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Went to Yoga this morning and it was good (in a way that hurt A LOT) to stretch my tight back left hamstring.

Yoga @ 01:15:00

Today's speed run can best be described as an exercise in improvisation. I have been smart enough to block off my calendar for these Tuesday runs so I can be sure to get them in. I headed out during lunch planning to get in an 8 mile tempo run from work to West Seattle and back. As I was running towards West Seattle, there was a very slow moving train in my way between me and the bridge so instead, I just kept heading South on 1st Avenue until I ran out of sidewalk. I then turned around and planned to still do an out and back to a closer point in West Seattle to get in my mileage. No train this time so I headed over and had just run the path under the bridge and was about to get on it when I saw it was blocked because the bridge was opening to accommodate a tall ship going through. Foiled again! No worries, I figured I would then just run towards Pioneer Square to get it all in and I saw CONSTRUCTION on the road ahead. I decided that if that ended up blocking me, the universe just must be insisting that I only get in 5 miles.

Unfortunately, Cheryl's training plans apparently trump signs from the universe because there was a path for bikes that I could go through.

8 Mile Tempo Run @ 01:14:00

Monday, November 10, 2008

Had a crazy back to back meeting day so I was just able to make it to core in the morning. Bagged an evening lift in favor of being a couch potato while drinking cheap pink wine with Wally.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Sunday, November 09, 2008

I woke up this morning around 6:20, 10 minutes ahead of my alarm clock and got some coffee and a bagel in my system before heading to the Japanese Gardens to get in my pre-2 miles before running the remaining 22 with BR.

It was a bit warm for a run but the company was excellent and even though we both were doing some internal whining, we made it through our distance in good time.

24 Mile Run @ 03:51:00

Saturday, November 08, 2008

This morning, I headed to Marymoor in the rain to run the trail again for my 18 miler. Fortunately, it stopped raining fairly soon after I started and I even got a bit warm. I ran steadily but never felt amazing or super tired so I guess it was just average.

18 Mile Run @ 03:00:00

Friday, November 07, 2008

Had a team off-site today in Mulkilteo so I slept in until 7:15 (oh, so good) and then got in a lift at the 24 near my home. That was it for the day except for go-kart racing. I was not super fast but managed to descend my time from my first heat to my second :)

Core @ 00:15:00
Upper Weights @ 00:40:00

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Katie picked me up at 5:15 AM this morning and even though we planned to run @ Golden Gardens, we nixed the plan last night because it seemed a bit too dangerous in the dark.

So instead, we did hills on 70th and 65th. We have usually done the hill only three times but this morning, we did 70th twice and 65th 1.75 times. I have a very long way to go before I can climb as easily as Katie can but I did feel less tired after my 2 days off running! I could get used to this :)

6 Mile Hill Run @ 01:05:00

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Was up a bit late celebrating last night so I barely even remember turning off my alarm clock when it went of for swimming (ha, a girl can dream...).

Jon was very kind to me in core class and put together a workout that kept our backs off a surface after I whined and showed her my mangled back.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a nice aerobic run after my long overdue haircut this evening. Put together a nice 7 mile route and kept the pace easy. Amazing how great I feel after taking 2 days off running!

7 Mile Run @ 01:10:00

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I got a running pass today from Cheryl because my schedule is so tight and my back has not yet healed. I did to to Yoga this morning and kept it simple :)

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Monday, November 03, 2008

Slept badly last night because my chewed up back kept sticking to my sheets :(

Made it to Core Class and then got in a lift at the 24 hour fitness up the street from my house.

Core Class @ 00:30:00
Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

Sunday, November 02, 2008

After a really great massage yesterday (thanks Ruth!), I headed East to get in my 22 mile run on the Lake Samamish trail. I ran out of trail before miles and ended up getting a bit more on the sidewalk before turning around and lucked out by hitting a water fountain that actually worked!

I think I went through almost every weather system on my run from hot sun through dumping rain. I did practice with Accelorade and my spam sandwich. I ended up eating just a couple of bites of it because I was not that hungry. However, I did get a sip of the Accelorade every 10 minutes and that carried me through quite well. The run was great and I felt super strong up to mile 16 and after that, I still felt good and had some left when I was done although I did not want to test it...

22.5 mile Run @ 03:50:00

Today's run (and getting soaking wet in the rain) did a number on my skin again and I have some serious wounds from my running bra to heal. I have decided that I will no longer run with the HR monitor as that strap is what created the worst damage. I really am not using HR as much anymore and am running more by time.

Went to yoga class today even though I was quite tired but it ended up being really good.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Was out late (for me) last night enjoying a delicious dinner Stacy cooked :) When I got home, I was so wiped, I called Katie to let her know that I was going to change around our running plan in the morning. Initially, I thought I would run for an hour and then meet her to run the last 10 miles but instead, we started together and I ran the last on my own.

We met at Gasworks and ended up just running up the trail and back. I got to run most of it on the dirt path that ran parallel. Ended up getting in only 15.5 because there was a bit of miscalculation but I was fine with it :)

15.5 Mile Run @ 02:35:00